Database/Fragrance/Sorbic Acid
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Sorbic Acid natural?

No. A preservative acid manufactured industrially from petrochemical crotonaldehyde and ketene, despite the same molecule occurring naturally in rowan berries.

INCI nameSorbic Acid
CAS110-44-1
FormulaC6H8O2 · 112.13 Da
FunctionFragrance · Preservative
FeedstockProduced industrially by reacting crotonaldehyde with ketene, both…

How we scored it

Commercial sorbic acid is made by condensing petrochemical crotonaldehyde with ketene; the historical berry-extraction route is not commercially significant today; 0.0.
What counts. ISO 16128-2 scores the atoms that remain in the final ingredient. Reagents, solvents, catalysts and protecting groups used during manufacture leave no mass behind and are not counted.

Where it comes from

Produced industrially by reacting crotonaldehyde with ketene, both derived from petrochemical feedstocks. Although sorbic acid was first isolated from rowan (Sorbus) berries, that extraction route is not used at commercial scale today.

In plain English

A preservative acid, made industrially by chemical synthesis, though the same molecule occurs naturally in rowan berries. Helps stop mould and yeast growing in a product.

CosIng definition: Sorbic Acid is the organic acid that conforms generally to the formula:

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Structure

2D structure of Sorbic Acid

(2E,4E)-hexa-2,4-dienoic acid

PubChem CID 643460 ↗

References

  1. 1ISO 16128-1:2016 and ISO 16128-2:2017 — Guidelines on technical definitions and criteria for natural and organic cosmetic ingredients and products. ISO, Geneva.
  2. 2Sorbic Acid. PubChem CID 643460. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3SORBIC ACID. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4SORBIC ACID. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=SORBIC%20ACID